From Tauranga District Court

Two Western Bay residents facing P dealing charges after police raids at several properties last month have been back in court.

Mark Kimber, 48, from Hairini faced one joint charge each of conspiring to supply the precursor substance iodine and supplying methamphetamine when he appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

In relation to the later charge Kimber is jointly charged with Maketu man Karl Goldsbury, 37, who also faces arson and other P-dealing charges, including manufacturing methamphetamine after an explosion at a P-lab in Katikati on December 9.

Four others are also facing various methamphetamine charges, including Te Puke labourer Simon Christian Whare, 38, who is also jointly charged with Goldsbury in relation to manufacturing P and a lone charge of supplying P.

Whare who also appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday is yet to enter pleas to the charges.

Heading to trial

Four Western Bay residents, including a brother and sister, charged in the relation to an alleged violent attack on two men in Te Puna in November last year are heading to trial.

Derek Michael Drewery, 26, of Judea, Jack Simon Ake, 51, from Te Puna, Rihari Jarrod Borrell, 22, and his sister Jasmine Hira Borrell, 24, both from Welcome Bay, were committed to the High Court at Rotorua for trial by a Tauranga court registrar yesterday.

Delivery driver fined

A Welcome Bay delivery driver who stole $1179.90 from his employer after pocketing the cash given to him by customers upon making deliveries has been fined $750 plus $132.89 court costs.

Kahn Ratcliffe, 36, who appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday, pleaded guilty to five charges of theft by a person in a special relationship.

Ratcliffe's employment was terminated when his offending came to light, and most of the money he stole was recovered from his final pay.

As well as a fine, Judge Peter Rollo ordered Ratcliffe to pay $129.59 reparation.

Hearing adjourned

A pre-trial hearing for Che Bridger, one of the two men charged in connection with the bashing and robbery of two French tourists in Papamoa last July has been adjourned.

Bridger, 24, from Mount Maunganui, who has denied two charges of aggravated robbery, was due to ask a judge to dismiss the charges due to lack of evidence at a special hearing in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

But the pre-trial conference did not take place and instead Bridger was further remanded in custody until March 13.